


Such a life, It is only us

by wannabeoppa



Series: D4DJ Drabbles [8]
Category: D4DJ First Mix (Anime), D4DJ Groovy Mix (Video Game)
Genre: 24 - Freeform, :), Character Study, F/F, I appreciate Saki a lot now, KyoShino stans there is something for you in here, Pining, Saki baby it's okay, Synesthesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabeoppa/pseuds/wannabeoppa
Summary: she will find it, one soft spark of colors in the air at a time.
Relationships: Inuyose Shinobu/Yamate Kyouko, Yamate Kyouko/Izumo Saki
Series: D4DJ Drabbles [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072145
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Such a life, It is only us

**Author's Note:**

> My magnum opus! 
> 
> I loved writing Saki, and analysing how her synesthesia works was an absolute blast! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it as much I enjoyed writing this. 
> 
> can you believe that my prompt for this was literally just "24"?
> 
> :)

It was 12:24 in morning when she realised that it was time to go to bed. 

It was easy for Saki to forget many things whilst in the middle of a revelation for a new mix. Still she found herself in a difficult situation of discovering a new wave of colours. Photon Maiden; they are the up and coming unit with her headlining as their DJ - and as a young group they were slowly on the rise, thanks to their hardworking producer and yet Saki kept herself up night in and night out trying to figure out why she couldn’t find the colours she sought for. She adored Photon Maiden and she knew that they adored her too with how they shimmer together in the sea of glamour and shine of the sounds they make together. She held this specially close to her heart and they deserve to shine more - especially her friends. Perhaps that was the main motivation she has to why she constantly breaks her back slouching on her chair in front of her mixing software, racking as much brain cells as she could to create something worthy for them, for Ibuki, Towa and Noa. For their own shining colour she could call Photon Maiden's own. 

She sighed when she leaned back on her chair and stared at the ceiling hopelessly wishing that Schrodinger's snores were the sounds she could give her success in finding these new colours. She smiled at her slumbering pet then back at her clock. She didn't dally and flung herself to bed clinging onto the hope that she could find what she was missing.

And she  _ will _ find it, one soft spark of colors in the air at a time. 

\---

24 was the number of the table she sat with the Photon Maiden in the fast food restaurant Towa picked. Though “pick” would be an interesting choice of word as she quite literally had closed her eyes, turned around thrice and pointed at a place at random. After inquiring, it seemed popular with the students of their school as the establishment was occupied mostly by students clad in Yoba Academy uniform so they didn’t feel out of place.

Saki was never a junk food person, nor was Ibuki but somehow she was convinced by both Noa and Towa to eat a combo meal with them without much resistance. Saki giggled at the teasing that ensued and her food tasted better somehow. She noted as she nibbled at the fry, and being honest whatever she ate with Photon Maiden tasted a lot better than when she ate alone. 

She kept her smile on, satisfied keeping quiet amidst the banter. She was happy listening - she always had been, to figure what color each voice around her could produce. Some were interesting but they always just looked the same for her - normal, mundane, stale - apart from what she could hear next to their table. They were brandishing the academy’s uniform underneath what Saki reckoned to be an unconventional dress code of hoodies and hats. The loud spark of orange towards where they sat caused Saki to tense up briefly. It was different from the kind of orange she was used to as this one was just like a sunset during the season of fall in the sea of calming breeze of spring. Her breath caught in her throat as she silently observed out of the corner of her eyes, memorising the details she could from the owner of the voice while the distracting colours swirled around her presence. Her hair was the soft colour of homemade caramel that Saki’s grandmother often made for her as a treat though it’s not as good as the dragonfruit she got to have after the indulgent sweet. When the girl from the next table swept her hair over her shoulder, Saki felt her heart slam against her ribcage. It hurt for a fleeting moment but it was something that she would want to feel again. She wasn’t sure what that was about. Saki carefully watched her and her friends leave the restaurant shrouded in mystery. It was a shame she didn’t catch her name. 

She wasn’t left in the dark for long when Shano showed them a video of Peaky P-key the next day where she found herself far more mesmerised than she already was. 

\---

24 were the types of colour she recognised the moment Kyoko started to countdown from ten, palm open as she reached for the sky to start their song Denran Countdown. Her field of vision was filled with an array of colours, her world suddenly became Kyoko’s canvas. The colours never wavered, only getting brighter as they swirled around her on stage. While Peaky P-key was stunning altogether, the colours Saki saw were only of Kyoko’s from where she stood in the furthest corner of the crowded room. Her voice was the loudest of all she could hear, resonating in her ear like a beautiful siren song amidst the ocean of people.

She rode the colour of maroon oozing with confidence as she held a note higher than Saki could reach. Stunned, she clutched her hands against her chest in an act of calming the pounding heartbeat matching the beat of the bass of Peaky’s next song. Kyoko’s confidence did not shift in the slightest even if the BPM of the following song was slower than the one before. That colour of maroon only pulsed with the passion of a performer far stronger than Saki could imagine. Saki considered her lucky that she could witness her in this light. She held her hands tighter against her chest as if clutching this essence selfishly. She felt her cheek warmed up at the song that encompassed her synesthesia with a burst of amber, yellow, and pink surrounding her in an overwhelming amount of happiness. The amount that even she couldn’t fathom that a person could produce but here she was feeling that she could confide herself in Kyoko’s voice alone. How could a person’s voice could make her feel safe despite the way the colour they produce was erratic? Kyoko’s colours were never still and they were at a speed that Saki couldn’t predict. And yet she would gladly hold onto this feeling as long as she could.

At that point their eyes met and Kyoko smiled as if she knew who Saki was. A tornado of colours appeared right between Saki and the stage, creating a tunnel that only her and Kyoko existed in. She never had the urge to close her ears or her heart to stop the fascinating view of the vivid swirling rainbow no matter how immensely it has taken over Saki’s sense. This surge came down as quickly as she felt it. The colours faded along with the low reverb of Peaky P-key’s last song. 

Saki could breathe again and her heart was satiated by the silence that followed her after the live concluded. The smile she held from the start to finish only grew wider as she walked home, relishing every single gleaming hue she recognised when Kyoko began to sing. 

It was the only thing she had in mind that it took her 24 tries to unlock her front door.

\---

She leaned against the window pane where Schrodinger’s tail happily swayed with the gentle breeze of the night. She remembered Towa joking how she and Schrodinger acted so similar that it was hard to tell who was the real cat between them. She giggled as her fingers lightly stroked under her cat’s chin. Perhaps she was right, though do cats yearn as regularly as humans? 

Schrodinger purred under her touch, she considered that as an answer. She amused herself that her pet would be the one to validate the things she thought back from today. 24 was the beats per minute as Wish You Luck wound down to a halt. It was at that time when she locked eyes with Kyoko with the fondness too much for a stranger to carry. The lightning speed of the colours travelled in the air slowed all along with everything - the song, her heart, the world around her - the world around  _ them _ . 

Saki could map out where the line of Kyoko’s smile began before it even started to form. The burst of orange surrounded her then, a colour that Kyoko made her own, her signature with its own distinct warmth and energy that revitalised every bit of Saki that Kyoko’s other colours overwhelmed her with. The kind of colour that cared for her and caressed her gently from where she stood. 

It was jarring how everything went back to normal as soon as her smile crested into a grin. Saki counted every second until it formed and every moment of it was worth the wait. 

And there it was again, the erratic way of her heart beating in her chest. Even at the time she felt it first, she didn’t know how to satiate the thumping that spread across her body. Saki began to think if she was getting ill, and maybe an early night sleep would fix it so she decided to take Schrodinger back inside with her. As she laid there waiting for sleep, she saw another spark of light orange in the air as she bore holes into the ceiling while the low hum of Wish You Luck played from the little speaker she had next to her bed. This shade of orange,  _ HER _ shade of orange was slowly becoming Saki’s favourite colour.

\---

It was no secret that Saki has a peculiar behaviour compared to the rest of Photon Maiden. These behaviours were often overlooked and in Noa’s words “a cute quirk that only Saki could have.” However being distracted has never been one of those things. “Saki.”

She has already made 24 taps on the table with her pen when Ibuki snapped her out of her own world. She felt Towa and Noa stare at her as well with the same worry Ibuki had in her eyes. They collectively frowned at how strange it was for her to float somewhere far. 

Sure, she found herself floating somewhere else whenever music was involved. In this case it was still technically right; Kyoko Yamate, the occupant of her attention up until recently and her wondrous collection of hues she brought with her. She was an enigma to Saki, accompanied by the strange way her chest ached every time her mind wandered towards her was intriguing and she was willing to look for her answer. She smiled at the inquisitive looks at her, “Yes?” Her smile was sweet, perhaps overly sweet but at least it was enough to disarm a worried Ibuki. “Nothing. Glad you’re okay.” 

\---

There was a 24 second delay in her response to Kyoko who extended her admiration after their loss against Happy Around. It was disappointing of course, but Saki changed out of her stage outfit and back into her school uniform with a new found determination to get better for the next time, not only for her but for Photon Maiden. Distracted by her own devices, Saki was able to barely process who it was that reached for her shoulder for attention. She started to speak and the colours slowly spilled and surrounded not only Kyoko but her in a warm whirlwind of orange along with Kyoko’s light drawl. Saki listened intently and noted how detailed her words rolled from her lips, her name in particular - “Izumo-san” - sent chills on her skin. Unknowingly, she finally acknowledged her words, “T-thank you,” Saki knew she whispered those words but she heard Kyoko let out a chuckle as a reply before shoving her hands back in her hoodie’s pocket. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing you perform again!” As she waved goodbye, the colours of her voice followed. Even at the distance she glimmered brightly. Saki uttered her own goodbye into the wind 24 seconds after Kyoko left her standing with Photon Maiden by her side. 

\---

It was those 24 seconds that she realised she wanted to talk to somebody about the irregular heartbeats she felt whenever she thought of Kyoko. Somehow she felt embarrassed even letting anybody know the feelings she was harbouring but knowing nothing of sort, there was nothing she could do. So in the middle of the night she called the only person she could think of and invited her for a private talk at lunch the next day. 

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!!” She wanted to back out from this, however this was Noa and the cat’s out of the bag. 

Noa all but catapulted herself at a sheepish Saki, squeezing her in the tightest hug Saki ever received. Not that hugs were unwelcomed, Saki preferred her space though receiving hugs from her fellow unit members never bothered her much. In reality, she needed this as it calmed every worry she had over the emotions she recently have been feeling. When Noa finally let her breathe they sat down and Saki shared her thoughts. All the while Noa couldn’t help but squeal as she explained the weird heartbeats she gets, her flushed feeling, this uncomfortable tightness against her chest almost every time she thought of her.

“My cute little baby is all grown up!” Saki wanted the ground to swallow her when Noa punctuated her reaction with that thought. At the same time, it made her happy that her fellow members look out for her the way a close sister would. She felt warm in her stomach, and comparing how she felt around Photon Maiden and around  _ her _ was definitely something of a contrast. With Photon Maiden it was the warmth of family but with her, the constant need to hear her, feel her voice, see the orange she was emitting, it was a different kind of necessity. 

Saki saw Noa bit onto her handkerchief to prevent a squeal. “I can’t believe my baby has a crush!!!” 

“A-a crush?” She inquired.

“Yes! It’s a very strong sense of infatuation!” Noa hummed in thought of another word, “It’s sort of like a friend but a friend that you would want to maybe hold hands or like, go eat together just the two of you.” Proudly, Noa nodded at her explanation. “All the things you told me just now tick all the boxes!”

Saki’s eyes glinted and pounded her balled hand on her palm, “Ah! Like you and Towa-san?”

She watched Noa flap her hands in the air in denial, yelling as many excuses as she could to thwart off the “ridiculous” idea. As Noa yelled into the sky, Saki was thankful that after days of pondering, it was finally clear as the first 24 seconds of the sunrise that woke her up in the morning before her alarm. What she felt was normal to feel towards someone, that how her heart suddenly pulse in her ears and how that her heartbeat increases and decreases to the 24 beats per minute to match the tone of her voice when sings or speaks was also normal. Her voice that constantly intruded in her consciousness and out was something she desired only now. She smiled as she looked down at her lap where her hands folded neatly to hide the giddy sensations tickling her. 

On the 24th day of Winter was when Saki learned that what felt was called a “crush” and Noa even mentioned it being borderline “love”. Nevertheless, it was the day she decided to continue feeling this way as much as she can, take a hold of this new found emotion and learn how these heavy feelings in her chest can be the best thing she’s ever felt with  _ her _ . After speaking with Noa, it was a lot clearer what she wanted to take a way from this.

“So,” Noa began as she leaned forward to see Saki’s flustered expression. “Who is the lucky person?” 

It was curious how Noa was begrudgingly looking at her when she mentioned Kyoko’s name. The emotions in her eyes switched swiftly from elated to worry, her lips dropped into a small frown before smiling. A smile that Saki could only define as melancholy. 

What came out of her lips left Saki further in the dark, “I’m happy for you...but just be careful.” 

Noa hugged her again but that time it felt as if it was of consolation. 

\---

24 hours after Saki had spoken to Noa, she saw Kyoko across the street walking with Shinobu alongside her under the gentle rain of snow. It was picturesque how the snow slowly blanketed the surroundings between Saki and them, and yet she felt an uneasy stir in her stomach. From where she stood she could just about see how radiant Kyoko’s eyes were as she talked about something she was unable to comprehend. Her kind eyes that softly crested differently from when Kyoko looked at Saki. Her lips curved up but not quite reaching to her ears and Saki bore witness to how the pitch of Kyoko’s voice was entirely different around Shinobu. 

The colours around her danced but it was something that Saki hadn't seen from when Kyoko stood on stage or from when she talked to Saki or her friends. The unpredictable waves of fuschia, mauve, red, and pink weren’t there but rather it was a constant, steady, and sure waves as it enveloped the two of them into a world where even Saki couldn’t see beyond. The colours were something new, another set of 24 colours in the air that she showed around her only catalyst; Shinobu. 

Saki had no name for this colour. The calm waves of the spectrum was nothing short of spellbinding yet the fascination quickly replaced by the sickening feeling of unease, and pain. But even to Saki she knew what kind of pain it was.

_ 1… _

_ 2… _

_...3 _

_...4 _

_ 5… _

_ 6… _

_...7 _

_ …8 _

For the first time since she could see colours in sound, she was dumbfounded. She could never forget the feeling drilling in her stomach as she slowly watched how the hues burned brighter than the stars in the night sky. 

_ 9 _ …

_ 10… _

_...11 _

_...12 _

_ 13… _

_ 14… _

_ …15 _

_...16 _

These colours she witnessed were the same colours that she only saw around Happy Around, even Noa and Towa...

_ 17… _

_ 18… _

_...19 _

The set of colours were so rare...as rare as Shinobu’s tiny smile when she glanced back up at Kyoko.

... _ 20 _

_ 21... _

Those colours shone so captivatingly but so out of reach. 

_ 22... _

The colours Saki couldn't see around Kyoko when she was with her.

... _ 23 _

The colours of which they speak of.

_...24 _

24 were the hours that ticked by when Saki saw the colours of love. 

It was agonising that Saki wasn’t the one who could pull the exact scintillating glimmer of colours out of her. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks gamma mocarenas for the rarepair. 
> 
> :) heh 24.
> 
> i'm on twitter. please yell at me @neddisoppa


End file.
